Markieff Morris Demands Trade From Phoenix Suns

Markieff Morris is still hurting because the Phoenix Suns traded his twin brother, Marcus to the Detroit Pistons earlier in the offseason. With less than three months for the start of the upcoming NBA season, the forward has demanded a trade away from Arizona, citing lack of respect from the organization as his primary reason for the trade demand.

"One thing for sure, I am not going to be there," Philly.com quoted Morris as saying. "If you want to put that out there, you can put that out. I don't give a [freak]. I am not going to be there at all. That's just what it is."

Morris stated the lack of disrespect from the Suns organization saying he was not consulted or told of the team’s decision to trade his brother to the Pistons. The Morris twins were signed to long-term deals in September of 2014 -- Markieff earned a four-year $32 million deal while Marcus signed for $20M in the same length of the contract.

Marcus was traded to Detroit in what was a salary dump move for the Suns. Phoenix also was aggressive in pursuing LaMarcus Aldridge in the 2015 free agency, which could have been a factor in Markieff’s trade demand.

"If you are going to do something, do it. The GM, I've been there longer than him, the coaches, everybody. I've been there the longest, and I don't get the respect to be like, 'Yo Keef, we are going to trade your brother. You are our future power forward.' I'm the future power forward. I'm the premier player of the team. … That's just how business is done I guess,” Morris said.

In the 2014-2015 regular season, Markieff averaged career-highs of 15.3 points, 6.2 rebounds and 2.3 assists in full 82 games for the Suns. In the same season, Marcus averaged 10.4 points, 4.8 rebounds and 1.6 assists, also all career-highs, in 81 games.